1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of building construction. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices and methods for building a tilt-wall building.
2. Related Art
The building and construction industry has previously employed a technique for forming walls in which structural studs are embedded in concrete. A primary challenge with this technique is to embed the studs in concrete in such a way as to minimize or eliminate any separation between the studs and the concrete once the wall is formed. One means of addressing this challenge has been through the design of the structural studs themselves.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,858 to Ruiz, et al. (“Ruiz”) discloses an example of one such design for a structural stud. The stud disclosed in Ruiz has a number of tabs extending outwardly from the side walls of the stud, and each of the tabs is derived as a cut-out portion of the side wall. The tabs are L-shaped and are folded out from the side wall along a bend line that is generally at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the stud. One problem with the machinery needed to form the tabs in Ruiz is that two strikes are required to form the tabs: one strike to punch the tab out of the side wall and another strike to form the L-shape in the tab.
U.S. Publication No. 2005/0055967 to Kariakin (“Kariakin”) discloses an example of another design for a structural stud. Kariakin describes a number of problems with the design disclosed in Ruiz, including that the L-shaped tabs are difficult to punch out from the side wall of the stud due to the extreme right angle required which joins the two legs of the L-shape together. Kariakin also discloses that another problem with the L-shaped tab design is that the surrounding concrete does not completely engage the tab surface area, particularly around the right angle joint. Kariakin attempts to overcome these problems by employing tabs that are substantially curved in side elevational view such that the tabs are half U-shaped. The tabs in Kariakin are said to be formed by means of a rolling guide with a punch that pierces a portion of the side wall in order to force the section outward to define the tab.
What is needed is a structural stud that provides improved adhesion between the stud and the surrounding concrete such that separation between the stud and the concrete is further minimized in comparison to the examples disclosed above and elsewhere in the prior art. What is further needed is a structural stud which can be formed by a device and a process that is less expensive and has less problems than the devices and processes by which other studs are formed.
The referenced shortcomings are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather are among many that tend to impair the effectiveness of previously known techniques for designing structural studs; however, those mentioned here are sufficient to demonstrate that the methodologies appearing in the art have not been altogether satisfactory and that a significant need exists for the techniques described and claimed in this disclosure.